Yao Cheng: Zhang Youxia is in Danger; Xi Jinping Aims to Eliminate Him

Photo: Tiananmen Square under heavy clouds. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

[People News] The successful convening of the Fourth Plenary Session has led many to believe that Xi Jinping is firmly in control. The Chinese Communist Party has been consistently suggesting that there is no confrontation between Zhang Youxia and Xi Jinping. Xi Jinping's recent visit to South Korea is also interpreted as a sign of his strong authority. However, former naval lieutenant colonel Yao Cheng argues that this perception is misleading; the two are engaged in a fierce struggle for power, and Xi is poised to counterattack, placing Zhang Youxia in a dangerous position. He predicts that Xi Jinping has already ordered the disciplinary committee to investigate Zhang Youxia, but no one dares to act on it. He remarked that if Xi Jinping does not take action against Zhang Youxia upon his return to Beijing, Zhang will be left vulnerable to attack.

How did the internal conflict between Xi and Zhang begin? This can be traced back to a leak of secrets within the Rocket Force.

1. The Rocket Force leak incident has ignited a life-and-death struggle between Xi and Zhang.

Following the 20th National Congress, the United States released significant confidential documents from the Chinese Communist Party's Rocket Force, totalling 255 pages. So who was responsible for leaking these secrets to the United States?

Previously, self-media commentator Sima Ku revealed that He Weidong and Miao Hua's faction leaked Rocket Force secrets to the United States in an effort to investigate corruption within the Rocket Force.

Recently, NetEase published an article titled 'In-Depth Revelation: Defence Minister and Rocket Force Commander Fall in Succession, They Have Been Hunted by the U.S. into a “Funnel”', which exposes the crimes of Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu. It was reported that during his time at the Military Discipline Inspection Commission, Wei Fenghe promoted 31 of his confidants. Between 2016 and 2019, he divided the Dongfeng 31-AG missile training software project into 12 sub-contracts, all of which were awarded to a company registered in the British Virgin Islands, 'Sea Tech Limited', controlled by the American company Lockheed Martin. Wei Fenghe allowed his son, who was studying in the U.S., to receive 274 million RMB and a villa in Los Angeles known as 'Half Mountain Villa' from the U.S.

While serving as Minister of Armament Development, Li Shangfu disclosed three bid bases for hypersonic missile tenders to an aviation company in Beijing. The materials were then supplied by the American Carbon Valley company, with a 70% markup in between. Li Shangfu's son opened a bank account in Switzerland using a Singapore passport and received 138 million USD from the U.S. over three years, along with an apartment in Manhattan. The bid bases were sold by Li Shangfu's military intermediary, Yang, at a tea house in Beijing to a Chinese-American for 6 million USD, after which the buyer transferred 6 million USD to Li Shangfu's Swiss account.

2. Why did the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection disclose the indictments of Wei and Li?

Yao Cheng stated that the details surrounding the cases of Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu are under the control of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). The leaks from the Fourth Plenary Session occurred because Cai Xia had previously revealed the incident involving He Weidong and Miao Hua secretly forming a private army. This suggests that the faction led by Zhang Youxia has already declared Xi Jinping's involvement and that he should face the death penalty. In turn, Xi Jinping's camp has also disclosed details regarding the cases of Wei and Li. Yao Cheng believes that the leaks from Wei and Li will not result in the core secrets of the Rocket Force being accessed by the United States.

Yao Cheng analysed that Wei Fenghe has always been part of the Second Artillery Corps, while Li Shangfu has been involved in both the aviation and aerospace sectors, but both have maintained excessively close ties with the General Equipment Department. Wei Fenghe faces charges of disloyalty, which will likely lead to a death sentence. Li Shangfu is charged with bribery, and given his rank, he could only have bribed three individuals: first, Xi Jinping; second, Xu Qiliang; and third, Zhang Youxia. The implications of Li Shangfu's desire to succeed Zhang Youxia are quite clear.

On July 28, 2023, Radio France Internationale published an article titled 'Secrets Not to Be Revealed: The Mysterious Death of Rocket Force Deputy Commander Wu Guohua.' The article speculated that Wu Guohua, who died under mysterious circumstances on July 4, 2023, may be connected to Qin Gang, who went missing in June 2023.

Yao Cheng disclosed that Wu Guohua was promoted from the Third Department of the Rocket Force to Deputy Commander and originally had a background in espionage. He further explained that the First Department of the Rocket Force General Staff is responsible for operations, the Second Department handles intelligence, and the Third Department is in charge of communications. The communications department acts as an external espionage agency, and Wu Guohua was initially part of the Third Department before being reassigned as Deputy Commander. The classified documents of the Rocket Force released by the United States may have been leaked by Wu Guohua, who might have hanged himself at home. Whether his death was a suicide or homicide remains uncertain and may be revealed during the funeral.

The article from Radio France Internationale discusses the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Wu Guoguang. Notably, the official obituary was delayed following his passing. The funeral was described as very simple, with the original statement reading: 'In accordance with the family's wishes, the funeral will be kept simple. The farewell ceremony for the body is scheduled for 9 a.m. on July 30, 2023, at the East Hall of the Babaoshan Funeral Home.' Accompanying the obituary was a photo of what appears to be a memorial set up by the family, which looked quite basic, featuring only two wreaths. Wu Guoguang's access to Babaoshan suggests he held a certain status and was not under any criminal charges.

Yao Cheng analyses that despite Wu Guoguang leaking secrets of the Rocket Force, he was not sentenced, which may imply that Wu Guohua is aligned with Xi Jinping. As the deputy commander of the Rocket Force, the presence of only two wreaths indicates that he indeed offended his former colleagues. Thus, Wu Guohua's leaking of secrets may have led to his ostracism by the Rocket Force personnel, making suicide a possibility.

The deaths and disappearances of both Wu Guohua and Qin Gang remain undisclosed, potentially indicating that the same faction is behind their punishment.

The article also references Yao Cheng's revelations on the X platform: 'The current commander of the Rocket Force, General Li Yuchao, was taken away for investigation during a meeting in his office on June 26 due to allegations that his son, studying in the United States, was involved in selling intelligence.'

Recently, someone informed Yao Cheng that Li Yuchao does not have a son, only a daughter. Yao Cheng realised he had been manipulated by Xi's faction. He speculated that the power struggle between Xi and Zhang began after the 20th National Congress and has remained covert, a life-and-death conflict. You kill one of mine, I kill one of yours.

In contrast to Wu Guohua and Qin Gang, whose situations were kept under wraps, reports surfaced in June 2023 indicating that Li Yuchao was absent from the military rank promotion ceremony at the end of June and was taken away from his office on the 26th. This incident also involved Rocket Force Deputy Commander Zhang Zhenzhong and Commander Liu Guangbin. The approach taken with these generals was public, as they were removed due to corruption investigations. Yao Cheng believes that these individuals are likely aligned with Xi's faction, and the disciplinary committee is behind these actions.

From this analysis, Yao Cheng asserts that the conflict between Xi Jinping and Zhang Youxia has been ongoing since the conclusion of the 20th National Congress.

(First published by People News)
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